Getting There By Air:Bern-Belp International Airport (BRN)
Tel: (031) 960 2111/27.
Website:
www.alpar.ch Bern-Belp International Airport is located just 9km (5.5 miles) southeast of the city center. In the terminal building currency exchange and bank (including ATM) services are available. In addition there are tax-free shopping opportunities as well as coffee bars and a VIP lounge. Internet access is also available at the airport.
Regular bus services connect the airport and the Swiss
federal capital. Buses run between the airport and Bern’s central railway station. There are also bus services to Belp railway station. Taxi services from the airport are provided by
Blaser & Co (tel: (079) 651 7070
or (031) 961 7484).
Getting There By Road:With its central location in Switzerland, Bern is easily accessible by car. The city is directly connected to the national motorway network as well as to the European E4 highway. The A12 leads to Lausanne, and the A1 runs via Bern between Geneva in the southwest and Zurich in the northeast. From Bern, access to southern Switzerland and Italy is via the Lötschberg Tunnel/Simplon Pass or the St Bernard road tunnel.
There are two motoring associations in Switzerland. These are
Touring Club Suisse (TCS) (tel: 0844 888 111; website:
www.tcs.ch) and
Automobil Club der Schweiz (ACS) (tel: (031) 328 3111; website:
www.acs.ch).
Emergency breakdown service:
TCS/ACS (tel: 140).
Switzerland has the densest railway network in the world, and between cities trains are the most common means of public transport. However, there is a network of local and regional routes operated by
PostBus (tel: 0848 888 888; website:
www.postbus.ch).
Eurolines (tel: 08705 808 080; website:
www.eurolines.com) operates coach services between Bern and other European cities.
Getting There By Rail:Bahnhof Bern, the city’s main railway station, is located in the center. Switzerland has the densest railway network in the world, and since the Swiss use their railways a lot, the standard of services is excellent.
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (tel: 0900 300 300; website:
www.sbb.ch) is the national rail services provider. Bern is well connected to the national and the international railway network. Basel and Zurich are just under an hour away by train, while the train journeys to Lausanne and Lucerne take slightly more than an hour.
Getting Around:Public TransportBern’s city center is compact, and sightseeing tourists are likely to move around by foot most of the time. The public transport network in the city is excellent, however, providing convenient and frequent services.
Bernmobil (tel: (031) 321 8844; website:
www.bernmobil.ch) runs three tramway lines with 17km (11 miles) of rail and 19 bus or trolley lines with a total network of 120km (75 miles). In addition, there are
Moonliner (tel: (031) 321 8812; website:
www.moonliner.ch) night buses, operating 18 lines from the station square on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The
BernCard gives the holder free unlimited travel on the public transportation system in the city and the surrounding region, and there are other benefits too (see
Tourist Information). The card is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
TaxisTaxi companies include
Bären-Taxi (tel: (031) 371 1111) and
Nova-Taxi (tel: (031) 331 3313).
BETAX (tel: 0800 903 090) provides transport services for disabled people. Public taxi ranks are on Casinoplatz and at the railway station (tel: (031) 311 1818).
Car HireCar rental is offered by
Avis (tel: (031) 378 1515; website:
www.avis.com),
Europcar (tel: (031) 381 7555; website:
www.europcar.com),
Hertz (tel: (031) 318 2160; website:
www.hertz.com) and
Sixt (tel: (031) 371 7100; website:
www.e-sixt.ch).
Bicycle HireBern Rollt (tel: (079) 277 2857; website:
www.bernrollt.ch) is a free bicycle hire service (from May to October) on Bahnhofplatz, the main station square. All you need to pay is a deposit. Otherwise bicycles can be hired for a fee at the railway station (tel: (051) 220 2374) and at the
Ski and Velocenter, Hirschengraben 7 (tel: (031) 312 0031; website:
www.ski-velo-center.ch).
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